Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-03-26
STEAMSHIP SCOTIA ASHORE.
disaster to French Ocean stsemer on
Long I>laad-About 1900 Passenger.
on Board and all are Savea-Rou.h
Weather Experienced,


40 FIRE ISLAND. N. Y. Mar. 23.
d. 10 A. Ma steamship is ashore near
ni4e fo'nt station, L. l., fifteen miles east
.. ere Island. Her masts are gone but her
p,pe !" sun standing. She is well up on the
oeacn ana appears to be settling. A moder.
49, s'e IRON the northwest blowing with a
10 A. M.-The vessel ashore nes, p,,o
Point Is the French steamer Sco,;a wb;us o
sailed from Marseilles. Feb. 20. and Nsnlss
Feb. %, via Gibralter, Feb. 27. tor New Ynrr
She Is said to have large number of s,eerags
passengers. She went ashore at 1 o,cjocL
A. M. The life ssSing people have oot |.
line to her. but on account of the heavy snrf
nave not been able TO do anything in the way
OF taking of the passengers
NEW YORK, Mar. 25.
Inc steamer Scotia has on board about 900
passengers, the most of them steerape mas.
sengers. 1t Was not known positively whether
there were any cabin passengers Her cargo
consists Of Italian produce. A dispatch re.
ceiVeo oy the passenger agent at noon said
that the passengers were all safe and would
be taken TO New York Tomorrow.
The steamer Scotia at s o'clock this even.
ing was lying easy in about 2 fathoms of wat
er 200 feet from shore. The wind and waves
had abated and the weather was fine, but she
was working slowly in through the pounding
OF the rising tide. The life saving
crew mad landed 100 of the passengers
on the beach when orders were given late in
.he AFTERNOON to keep the passengers on
board until the arrival of barges from New
York for their reception. This caused con-
siderable grumbiing. As the people OF the
vessel complain that they have had but little
food for some time. while they have had to
pay for water 10 drink
Inc "recking tug j. j. Mearitt arrived at
4.3O +. Nj. and anchored near by ready to
render all necessary assistance. The pas
sengers on shore are being cared for tonight
and they and those on board will be taken to
New York tomorrow IN barges. The vessel
IS leaking and the pumps are kept continual
ly at work, but ii is thought she will event.
ually be pulled of all right and her cargo
saved. No statement has yet been made by
the captain or officers of the Scotia in regard
to her experiences during her exec dinghy
rough voyage of over 80 days. From other
sources ii is learned, however, that for near
iy ~ days the steamer met a series of storms
huge waves dashing over her decks and al
times threatening to submerge her. Her ap
pearance gives unmistakable evidence of
hard usage. Her masts and rigging are gone
and her decks are in general disorder.
"AS Ao'ehOoh, "ucu Ndpt. huudts WHO
had remained on the bridge most of the time
during the past week, fonnd the vessel near
the beach. and as the storm did not abate he
determined to beach her, and in order to
keep her more steady he ordered the mas,s to
be cut away. The fact that the steamer
went ashore with her her head northeast, di-
recty opposite to her proper course, would
indicate that she had been tossing about with
but slight control when she struck the beach
and the tremor and awakening thud of the
shock was fe.t by the passengers. A scene
of inexpressible excitement prevailed. The
women and children screamed and prayed
aloud, while stalwart men ran about shout
ing and gesticulsting wildly. 1t was hardly
aybreak when the vessel grounded and
those on board could not distinguish the land
ahead, and it was not until the life saving
crew reached the ship that the captain knew
just where he was. There were ll09 or 1900
people on board. During much of the
stormy weather it has been necessary to keep
the poor emigrauts packed like sardines in
the storage, where they were subjected to
great suffering. Several men and women
are suffering from fractured limbs and seri
Gus bruises, while the bodies of many chill
dren are black and blue. II is proviiential
that the storm died down when it did this
morning or few would have reached land to
tell the story of their experience.